ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Lindenwood softball (13-15, 4-5 OVC) drop their final two games of the weekend against the Lady Tigers of Tennessee State (14-9, 5-3 OVC) at the Lou Brock Sports Complex. The Lions suffered a 8-7 loss in nine innings to start Saturday's double header before losing 8-5 in game two. Lindenwood drops to 4-5 in Ohio Valley Conference play after losing the season series 1-2.
GAME ONE (9 inn.)
Lindenwood - 7
Tennessee State - 8
Tennessee State was able to tie the series at 1-1 after picking up an 8-7 win over the Lions in extra innings.
Avery Wapp (L, 5-4) suffered the loss in relief throwing 3.1 innings allowing three runs in four hits with five strikeouts. Starting pitcher
Samantha Roulanaitis threw in the 4.0 innings allowing four unearned runs on five hits with four strikeouts.
At the plate, Lindenwood's lead-off hitter
Nicole Henson went 3-4 adding an RBI and two runs scored.
Jolie McMinn continued her hot start to OVC play going 2-5 with three RBI and a double.
Tori Hatton also went 2-4 with an RBI.
After a scoreless top of the first inning from Roulanaitis, Lindenwood scored one in the bottom of the first after a sac fly from Hatton brought home Henson. TSU quickly responded with a run of their own in the second. Roulanaitis struck out two to end the second. Henson added her RBI single in the bottom of the second to put the Lions on top 2-1.
The Lady Tigers answered in the third with three runs on three hits. With two outs and a runner on, TSU's Onnika Spencer hit a two-run home run to take their first lead of the game. TSU added one more run off an error in the inning to go up 4-2.
Lindenwood's McMinn came up huge in the bottom of the fourth with a bases clearing three RBI double to reclaim the lead at 5-4. Tennessee State added one more run in the fifth off of
Lucy Pratt in relief of Roulanaitis to tie the game for a third time at 5-5.
Heading into the top of the ninth, TUS scored three runs off of Wapp to take the lead in extras. Lindenwood was able to get the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. A pinch hit two RBI single by
Danielle Franz cut the lead to one. The game ended with a fly out to right field by
Madisen Noll to put the final score in TSU's favor 8-7.
GAME TWO
Lindenwood - 5
Tennessee State - 8
Lindenwood allowed just four hits in game two but the Lady Tigers capitalized on five walks to take the series in game three by a final score of 8-5. Starting pitcher
Ryleigh Owens pitched 5.2 innings allowing seven runs (five earned) on two hits with five walks and four strikeouts. Roulanaitis pitched the final 1.1 innings allowing one unearned run on two hits.
Henson and McMinn both had two hits in the loss in game three including a double from Henson as the lead-off hitter. Noll also went 2-3 at the plate with a double while
Anna Sanders went 1-3 with an RBI. LU had eight hits in the game leading to five runs.
Lindenwood struck first for the second game in a row on Saturday with an RBI bases loaded walk by Irleynn West. The Lions left the bases loaded after two outs ended the inning. LU also added a run in the second after a single by McMinn scored Henson. It took until the third inning for TSU to score, but the Lady Tigers were able to get a three RBI bases clearing double to take a one run lead at 3-2.
The Lions scored their final three runs of the ball-game in the bottom of the third after an RBI from
Mya Bethany scored a run.
Dallis Darnell scored on a wild pitch while Sanders added a sac fly RBI to right field to put LU up 5-4.
TSU scored one in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh to push the lead to 8-5 and end Saturday's double header. Lindenwood ended the game with five runs on eight hits with two errors while TSU scored eight runs on four hits with one error.
The Lions will be back in action next weekend when they travel to SIUE for a three-game series starting on Saturday, March 29th. For more information go to lindenwoodlions.com.
